Homelessness in Buffalo, New York: A qualitative and spatial review

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The visibility of homelessness in Buffalo does not seem to appear as prevalent as it does in cities like San Francisco or Chicago where shortages of affordable housing continue to grow. Perhaps this is due to abundant levels of affordable housing in older industrial cities. However, homelessness presents a challenge to planners in all cities as they try to accommodate and plan for the ever-growing lists of housing needs and conditions among communities. In order for planners to reduce or improve the delivery of resources among the homeless, it is important to gauge the size of the population in order to determine needs and access. Using spatial analysis to target homeless populations is useful. However collecting the data necessary for the spatial analysis can be difficult since homeless populations tend to be nomadic, seasonal, and volatile. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the geography of homelessness in Buffalo through qualitative research and to apply the results through spatial analysis.